Tangerine, the shot-on-an-iPhone comedy about trans sex workers that has made so many year-end Top 10 lists, is also a Christmas movie. You’re forgiven if you forgot that. From its opening line—“Merry Christmas Eve, bitch!”—to a sex party in a filthy motel, on to meth-smoking in a bathroom and a climax in which the fiancé-pimp of Sin-Dee Rella reveals he’s cheated on her with her best friend, Alexandra, Tangerine makes it clear that this isn’t It’s a Wonderful Life.

Or is it? After all, Frank Capra’s dark classic only works if we can all appreciate not only George Bailey’s feeling that he is trapped in his life, but also how that feeling can become smothering at the holidays. On its surface, Tangerine might seem a long way from traditional Christmas fare, but as it turns out, all the great Christmas stories suggest that the true spirit of Christmas might be a sense of alienation.

Any Christmas movie worth the attention of an adult wrestles with the holiday, whose tidings of comfort and joy can sometimes seem more bullying than, well, comforting. Home Alone, A Christmas Story, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Ref, Eyes Wide Shut, Bad Santa, Elf, Gremlins, A Charlie Brown Christmas, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Edward Scissorhands all feature characters who wrestle with disappointment but end up finding some domestic solace. It’s possible, of course, to make a Christmas movie that isn’t haunted by disappointment (e.g., Love Actually), but it probably won’t be any good (e.g., Love Actually).

This disappointment comes in two sizes: kid and adult. For children, the disappointment is with Christmas itself, as kids realize that reality can rarely live up to all their anticipation and desire. Charlie Brown can’t kick his blues. Ralphie shoots his eye out. For adults, the disappointment is deeper and richer, because it is with themselves. They are their own dashed hopes.

All of this can be traced back to the founding tale of modern Christmas A Christmas Carol (1843). The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future haunt Scrooge, but what he is really haunted by is himself and the recognition of what he has become. Even for those of us who have not given up our humanity to greed, the story still hits home with its understanding that the cyclical nature of the holiday is an annual account-taking, much more so than New Year’s.

Charles Dickens understood all this from the start. A Christmas Carol has sometimes been wrongly credited with inventing our modern Christmas traditions, focused on family and gift-giving rather than on raucous celebration in the streets, as the holiday had traditionally been celebrated before the 19th century. He captured rather than created these new rituals, but his real accomplishment was to find a deeper meaning in them, a meaning for adults, that was rich with regret and melancholy.

What Dickens recognized early on is that the cyclical nature of Christmas and its focus on childhood created an annual occasion for great expectations whose realizations are to be measured against both hope and memory. Each Christmas holds out a promise that it will recall and outdo the memories of holidays past, and most Christmases fail to deliver on that promise. Each year is an opportunity to measure the present against the past. Although John McClane isn’t visited by literal ghosts in Die Hard, he is haunted by his failure to maintain his marriage thanks to choosing his career over his family. Like Scrooge, he must find redemption, and in true American fashion he does so through violence. The message of modern Christmas, from Dickens on down, is that you’d better save yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you. It’s a self-help gospel for an era that was already moving away from Christianity.

This reinvention of Christian redemption as a personal choice to embrace the family makes A Christmas Carol perennially relevant in an age where growing numbers of parents are willing to give up on Jesus but can’t let go of Santa. Dickens made the family, rather than the church, the center of Christmas when he had the born-again Scrooge go to his nephew’s house rather than to mass. The same movement recurs in Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and Eyes Wide Shut, all of which feature heroes, filled with regret for the past, who find solace at the film’s end by returning to their families (or, in the case of Riggs, to Murtaugh’s family).

In Tangerine, Sin-Dee and Alexandra are, like Scrooge, characters at a precipice. Sin-Dee yearns for something like domesticity with her pimp, and Alexandra wants to become a singer, but in both cases their attempts lead to laughable failures. At the end, however, they discover some solace in each other. They become each other’s family, as they clearly always have been. As Christmas Eve slides into Christmas, Sin-Dee is assaulted by a bunch of bros who throw piss on her from a car. Alexandra takes her to the laundromat to clean up and makes Sin-Dee take off her urine-soaked hair. In a gesture that alludes to O. Henry’s well-known Christmas story, The Gift of the Magi, Alexandra takes off her own wig and gives it to her friend. They hold hands as the film goes to credits, and the real meaning of Christmas is restored.

Are their problems—chief among them poverty and bigotry—solved? Of course not. The allure of Christmas and of Christmas movies, the reason we watch them again and again, is not so much that they promise a happy ending as that they remind us of a basic truth: redemption is not a permanent settlement, but an island of temporary repose. God bless us, everyone.

Nicholas Hoult as Marcus Brewer in About A Boy (2002)

It's tempting to give the “Most Improved” award to A Christmas Story's Peter Billingsley, but get a load of Hoult. Marcus grew up well. 2013 was supposed to be the year Hoult ascended to mega-stardom, but both Warm Bodies and Jack The Giant Slayer didn’t perform as well as hoped. Hoult will be back in blue next year in X-Men: Days Of Future Past opposite his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence. Oh yeah, he dated Jennifer Lawrence. That means he wins this whole list, doesn’t it?

Photo: From Getty Images.

Brett Kelly as The Kid in Bad Santa (2003)

A decade later and this kid looks pretty much exactly how you’d expect. Only, you know, somewhat taller. Kelly has worked fairly steadily since Bad Santa, mostly in direct-to-video projects. He’s currently pursuing a business degree at The University Of British Columbia but has expressed interest in the Bad Santa sequel Billy Bob Thornton keeps threatening to make.

Photo: From Getty Images.

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story isn’t the last beloved holiday movie Billingsley appeared in. He had a cute cameo as one of Santa’s elves in 2003’s Elf. Ralphie’s looking pretty good these days, is he not? A frequent collaborator with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, Billingsley has appeared alongside them in a number of films and even snagged Executive Producer credit on 2008’s Iron Man. Most importantly, however, those baby blues are working heavily in his favor. Good thing he didn’t shoot ‘em out.

Photo: From Getty Images.

Juliette Lewis as Audrey Griswold in Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Griswold kids are one of film’s greatest mysteries. A different pair of actors played Rusty and Audrey over the course of four films in the National Lampoon Griswold saga. But Juliette Lewis with her amazing late 80s pink hairband is undoubtedly the best. Lewis has had a long and busy career, in everything from Natural Born Killers to but this December co-stars in one of her most high-profile projects in years, August: Osage County, opposite Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Not bad for a Griswold.

Photo: From Getty Images.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Sam in Love Actually (2003)

This kid has actually been working pretty steadily for the past decade and can be seen in a number of projects including Nanny McPhee and Doctor Who. But his voice is immediately recognizable to parents the world as Ferb, one half of the very popular animated show Phineas and Ferb. This last year he stepped into the cast of HBO’s hugely successful Game Of Thrones. Can he handle dire wolves, dragons and white walkers (oh my!)? Of course he can, he got the shit kicked out of him by love and lived to tell the tale

Photo: From Getty Images.

Olivia Olson as Joanna in Love Actually (2003)

Olson’s role in Love Actually was pretty slim but her performance of the best Christmas pop song of our generation was an absolute showstopper. It’s no surprise that Olson’s pursued a career in music. She released an album “Beauty Is Chaos” this year and does voice work for a number of animated shows including Phineas And Ferb with her Love Actually castmate Thomas Brodie-Sangster. He violated airport security protocol for her!

Photo: From Getty Images.

Mara Wilson as Susan Walker in Miracle On 34th Street (1994)

After whispering her way into our hearts in Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993, Mara Wilson was the go-to young actress for sugary sweet films. She walked away from Hollywood at the height of her popularity to pursue school and recently wrote an article encouraging a number of troubled former child actresses to do the same. Though Wilson is mostly focused on her writing career, she can still be heard on the wildly popular Welcome To Night Vale podcast as "The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home."

Photo: From Getty Images.

Nicholas Hoult as Marcus Brewer in About A Boy (2002)

It's tempting to give the “Most Improved” award to A Christmas Story's Peter Billingsley, but get a load of Hoult. Marcus grew up well. 2013 was supposed to be the year Hoult ascended to mega-stardom, but both Warm Bodies and Jack The Giant Slayer didn’t perform as well as hoped. Hoult will be back in blue next year in X-Men: Days Of Future Past opposite his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence. Oh yeah, he dated Jennifer Lawrence. That means he wins this whole list, doesn’t it?

From Getty Images.

Brett Kelly as The Kid in Bad Santa (2003)

A decade later and this kid looks pretty much exactly how you’d expect. Only, you know, somewhat taller. Kelly has worked fairly steadily since Bad Santa, mostly in direct-to-video projects. He’s currently pursuing a business degree at The University Of British Columbia but has expressed interest in the Bad Santa sequel Billy Bob Thornton keeps threatening to make.

From Getty Images.

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story isn’t the last beloved holiday movie Billingsley appeared in. He had a cute cameo as one of Santa’s elves in 2003’s Elf. Ralphie’s looking pretty good these days, is he not? A frequent collaborator with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, Billingsley has appeared alongside them in a number of films and even snagged Executive Producer credit on 2008’s Iron Man. Most importantly, however, those baby blues are working heavily in his favor. Good thing he didn’t shoot ‘em out.

From Getty Images.

Juliette Lewis as Audrey Griswold in Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Griswold kids are one of film’s greatest mysteries. A different pair of actors played Rusty and Audrey over the course of four films in the National Lampoon Griswold saga. But Juliette Lewis with her amazing late 80s pink hairband is undoubtedly the best. Lewis has had a long and busy career, in everything from Natural Born Killers to but this December co-stars in one of her most high-profile projects in years, August: Osage County, opposite Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Not bad for a Griswold.

From Getty Images.

Johnny Galecki as Rusty Griswold in Christmas Vacation (1989)

Just as Juliette Lewis is without a doubt the Most Famous Audrey Griswold, Johnny Galecki came out of nowhere a few years ago to claim the title of Most Famous Rusty Griswold from Anthony Michael Hall. Before the explosive success of The Big Bang Theory, Galecki would have been remembered most fondly for his time on Roseanne, but now he’s reached the level of TV character success where he can forever be recognized by first name only. He’s no longer Rusty, he’s inescapably Leonard.

From Getty Images.

Corey Feldman as Peter Fountaine in Gremlins (1984)

We all know about Feldman’s checkered history over the past few decades leading up to his current role as frontman of a music group called “Corey Feldman’s Truth Movement.” He’s a far cry from the neighbor kid in Gremlins. Feldman was once so cuddly and sweet and has now become something much more wildly unpredictable. Did someone feed him after midnight, do you think?

From Getty Images.

Kieran Culkin as Fuller McCallister in Home Alone (1990)

This brief appearance opposite his brother Macaulay was the middle Culkin brother’s film debut. Kieran went on to claim the title of “Most Employed” Culkin in the late 90s before handing that crown to the youngest Culkin, Rory. Kieran still works selectively both on stage and on the screen and recently stole the show from Michael Cera and a stable of evils exes as Wallace Wells in Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

From Getty Images.

Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990)

Without a doubt the best answer to the “where are they now?” question is right here. The original flavor Culkin hasn’t exactly been hiding for the past thirteen years. He crops up every now and then and inexplicably dated Mila Kunis for the better part of a decade. But his current project? The pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band called Pizza Underground? Amazing. All that gluten and dairy in this day and age? A viral video of Macaulay enjoying a slice? It’s incredible. He’s out Franco-ing James Franco. But I guess we should have seen it coming.

Michael C. Marrona as Jeff McCallister in Home Alone (1990)

Most children of the 90s identify Michael Marrona as Big Pete from the cult TV show, The Adventures of Pete and Pete. Both Petes were reunited in 2010 and 2011 for a number of reunion specials. But, interestingly, Marrona does most of his work behind the camera these days as an electrician for TV shows like Sex & The City and Elementary. Not to mention, of course, the time he put into growing that glorious ginger beard.

Devin Ratray as Buzz McCallister in Home Alone (1990)

The McCallisters named one of their kids “Fuller” and another one “Buzz?” They weren’t exactly winning Parents Of The Year before they left their kid behind. Twice. Good old Buzz had an amazing 2013 appearing in both one of the most well-received films of the year (Nebraska) and one of the most poorly received films (R.I.P.D.). Woof, right?

From Getty Images.

Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who in How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Well she still has all that hair, it’s just headed in a different direction these days. In her post Gossip Girl career, Momsen has decided to focus on her singing career. Her band, The Pretty Reckless, has opened for the likes of Evanescence and Marilyn Manson and they have a new album coming out in 2014.

From Getty Images.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Sam in Love Actually (2003)

This kid has actually been working pretty steadily for the past decade and can be seen in a number of projects including Nanny McPhee and Doctor Who. But his voice is immediately recognizable to parents the world as Ferb, one half of the very popular animated show Phineas and Ferb. This last year he stepped into the cast of HBO’s hugely successful Game Of Thrones. Can he handle dire wolves, dragons and white walkers (oh my!)? Of course he can, he got the shit kicked out of him by love and lived to tell the tale

From Getty Images.

Olivia Olson as Joanna in Love Actually (2003)

Olson’s role in Love Actually was pretty slim but her performance of the best Christmas pop song of our generation was an absolute showstopper. It’s no surprise that Olson’s pursued a career in music. She released an album “Beauty Is Chaos” this year and does voice work for a number of animated shows including Phineas And Ferb with her Love Actually castmate Thomas Brodie-Sangster. He violated airport security protocol for her!

From Getty Images.

Mara Wilson as Susan Walker in Miracle On 34th Street (1994)

After whispering her way into our hearts in Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993, Mara Wilson was the go-to young actress for sugary sweet films. She walked away from Hollywood at the height of her popularity to pursue school and recently wrote an article encouraging a number of troubled former child actresses to do the same. Though Wilson is mostly focused on her writing career, she can still be heard on the wildly popular Welcome To Night Vale podcast as "The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home."